Group makes case for emergency line, ambulance for stroke patients
Nigeria Stroke Reference Group (NSRG) has called for an emergency telephone number and a coordinated ambulance service to support prompt care for people afflicted by stroke across the country. In a statement ahead of World Stroke Day, October 29, Dr Biodun Ogungbo, a member of NSRG, said, “to treat stroke effectively, the stroke victim should […]
Nigeria Stroke Reference Group (NSRG) has called for an emergency telephone number and a coordinated ambulance service to support prompt care for people afflicted by stroke across the country.
In a statement ahead of World Stroke Day, October 29, Dr Biodun Ogungbo, a member of NSRG, said, “to treat stroke effectively, the stroke victim should be able to call an emergency response number and be transported to a dedicated stroke centre within minutes, for clot bursting drugs to be administered.”
Ogungbo said clot-bursting drugs like Alteplase, Streptokinase and Urokinase help reopen blocked vessels in the brain, but must be administered within a window of three to four hours, sometimes resulting in immediate recovery.
But they are expensive and not readily available so that even patients who can afford to travel abroad may not always get the drug within three hours from the onset of stroke.
Ogungbo said, “In effect, developing a local solution to cater for everyone favours both the rich and the poor…The government through the FMOH must find ways to effectively support stroke survivors and their families through the advancement of new treatments. By raising awareness, we can minimize the rates of disability and mortality resulting from stroke,” which he described as both preventable and treatable.
NSRG was set up to plan and direct stroke care nationwide and will work with the federal health ministry to deliver a stroke registry, educate health practitioners and back advocacy to mitigate the effects of strokes or “brain attacks”—which occur when blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off.
Ogungbo, a consultant neurosurgeon, said strokes are a leading cause of disability and death, accounting for up to 160,000 annual deaths in Nigeria—more than malaria and HIV combined—even though the actual figure is unknown.
He added long-term cost in finance and quality of life overwhelm families as two-thirds of survivors must live with chronic paralysis, reduced physical activity and speech problems.